Hamlet

1
Hamlet

• William Shakespeare

2
Shakespeares Bio.

• 1564 William Shakespeare born at
  Stratford-upon-Avon
• 1582 married Anne Hathaway
• 1583 birth of daughter, Susanna
• 1585 birth of twins, Hamnet and Judith
• 1596 son Hamnet dies

3
Shakespeares Life

• 1592, Shakespeare is established actor and
  playwright
• 1594, he is member of the Lord Chamberlains
  Men, later to be called the Kings Men
• Many of Shakespeares plays are still performed
  today all over the world.

4
William Shakespeare1564-1616

• 1616 Shakespeare dies--buried in the Holy
  Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon. He was 52.
• He wrote poetry, comedies, tragedies, and
  serious drama

5
Hamlet Background

• Hamlet has been published in three versions
• 1603--First Quarto, The Tragical Historie of
  Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare
• 1604--Second Quarto, The Tragedy of Hamlet
• 1623--First Folio, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
• Essentially, this is the acting version which was
  necessarily cut by more than 200 lines although
  some new passages were added.

6
Historical Facts Cont.

• Story of Hamlet goes back to Scandinavian legend,
  bearing comparison to the Anglo-Saxon account of
  Beowulf.
• Earliest surviving literary tale of Hamlet is
  found in Saxo Grammaticus Historia Danica (1200)
• Shakespeares version differs
  from the original piece but contains
  many common characters and themes.

7
Hamlet Setting

• Elsinore, Denmark
• Set in a politically and culturally
  interconnected Europe Denmark, Norway, Poland,
  England, France, and Germany.
• Elsinore is not a remote backwater, but a vitally
  strategic place in European political and social
  life.

8
Norway vs Denmark

• 
  These two countries have a
  history of violence.
• Old King Hamlet and Old King Fortinbras were
  rivalsthey fought hand-to-hand combat over a
  piece of land and King Hamlet won.
• Both old kings are dead and now Young Fortinbras
  wants revenge upon Denmark.
• Young Fortinbras and Prince Hamlet are parallel
  characters.

9
Who is Hamlet?

• The Prince of Denmark--the title character, and
  the protagonist.
• He is about 30 years old at the start of the
  play.
• Hamlet is the son of Queen Gertrude and the
  recently deceased King Hamlet.
• He is the nephew to the new King--Claudius.

10
Who is Hamlet?

• Hamlet is melancholy, bitter, and cynical, full
  of hatred for his uncles scheming and disgust
  for his mothers sexuality.
• A reflective and thoughtful young man who has
  studied at the University of Wittenburg.
• Hamlet is sometimes indecisive and hesitant, but
  other times prone to rash and impulsive acts.

11
Hamlet Themes

• Hamlet a tragic hero?
• Tragic flaw? The heros downfall is caused by a
  tragic flaw or blemish in his character. His
  weakness may be that he thinks too much and
  cannot make up his mind.
• Tragedy of fate? Hero has no real control over
  his destiny. His fate is predetermined.

12
Hamlet Themes

• Hamlets Relationship Crisis
• An Oedipus Complex? Hamlet is in love
  with his mother, and is violently jealous of
  Claudius, his stepfather. The Oedipus Complex
  makes him unable to have a healthy relationship
  with Ophelia.
• A split personality? Hamlet both loves and hates
  Ophelia, and simultaneously admires and abhors
  his mother. His sexual feelings for Ophelia and
  his mother fight against his other feelings.

13
Hamlet Themes

• Madness and Melancholy
• Sin and Salvation
• Revenge Tragedy
• CatholicismPurgatory
• Parallel Characters

14
King Claudius-the manipulator

• Hamlets Uncle who succeeded his brother to the
  throne and married his brothers wife.
• The antagonist.
• He constructs the façade of perfect royalty in
  the hopes of escaping the consequences of his
  actions.
• His goal is to keep those around him from knowing
  too much.

15
Queen Gertrude

• Mother to Hamlet
• Buries her husband, King Hamlet and marries his
  brother in less than two months.
• Discloses everything to her new husband King
  Claudius
• Has a dysfunctional relationship with her son.

16
Ophelia

• Hamlets girlfriend
• They have had a long distance relationship while
  hes been away at college
• Hamlet manipulates her because he feels he cant
  trust her.
• Consider whether he ever really loved her?